Resonance and Recipes
Posted on Fri Jun 19th, 2026 @ 8:52pm by Lieutenant Ronan D'Sai DSc. & Lieutenant Tatiana Dragos
Edited on on Fri Jun 19th, 2026 @ 8:53pm
1,888 words; about a 9 minute read
Mission:
Friends and Traitors
Location: Starbase 310
Arboretums. Contained spaces meant to feel like the outdoors. He wasn't a particular fan but on a star base, this was probably the best he was going to find. He found a spot that gave the illusion of privacy, slipped off his shoes, and unpacked his cello. His amber gaze took in the details, checking for signs of damage, and seeing none, settled into place with the instrument between his legs. Black hair that extended to mid-back, fell forward slightly as he bent his head, his thoughts turning immediately to the music, focusing in so that the base around him just fell away. He settled on a piece he knew well, closed his eyes, and played.
Following the pathway of memories, Tatiana wandered around the station. Greeting those who remembered her. Several saying they were happy she wasn't dead. She even stopped at medical to pay her respects to the doctor who had delivered her children. They had chatted for a few before the doctor was called away.
Feeling that she needed an escape, her hand hovered over her combadge thinking of two people she'd want to just sit down and chat. Caitlyn and Erik. She lowered her hand to her side slowly shaking her head. No, even though Caitlyn had suggested that they meet for drinks, and Erik? She felt a little bit awkward in calling upon him, due to her previous thoughts.
Tatiana gave a quiet chuckle, she'll get with him later on. Her eyes caught sight of yet another friend in the distance, seeming to be making their way towards her. She didn't want to answer anymore questions as to whether she'd found her kids once more. She looked for a quick escape, her eyes stopping on the entrance to the arboretum. Perfect!
Tatiana slipped inside, making her way into the inner depths of it. As she wandered, she thought she heard some music coming from somewhere. It had a soothing quality to it. Tatiana followed the sound, being curious as to who was playing.
Tatiana found the area where the music came from, her footsteps quiet, as she came to where a curtain of jasmine was. She gently pushed it aside to see who was there. Her eyes widened.
There was a man with dark hair, his raven tresses partially covering his features. Tatiana didn't want to disturb him while he played, choosing to lower herself to the ground the curtain of jasmine settling back down. She sat crosslegged, the scent of jasmine adding to the performance content to listen letting it take her stress away.
For Ronan, the music flowed through him, carried him, took him into a space where only the music existed. In the aftermath of his father's horrific deeds, music had sustained him through the ordeal of just trying to get through the day. An enlightened society that prided itself on having left such things far in the past found the son tainted somehow, as though whatever had bred Amherst clung to him as well. Music had helped him through, taught him to express his feelings without words, and helped him find a sort of inner calm. And while he'd dealt with his father, for the most part, new situations still brought back those tentative feelings. The counselors who just had to poke and prod. The morbidly curious. The officers who wanted to be sure that he wasn't truly his father's son. And so he played and let the music speak, to him ... for him ... The end of the piece was always hard, making that transition back to the world. He finished finally and sat there while the sounds of the station intruded once more and set about packing up his cello.
The piece was finished, Tatiana watched as he started packing up. She wanted to applaud him but then again should she? Her heart stilled as she noticed his features, his face being revealed from its curtain of ebony. She wanted to compliment the man for his playing. Should she?
A sudden cramp in her foot caused Tatiana to give out a gasp, her rising up from where she sat. The sudden motion caused the curtain of jasmine to ripple, being a backdrop for the blonde woman. She certainly hated the feeling.
His attention shifted at once, catching sight of the woman before his expression shuttered. With the cello packed up once more, he found his shoes and slipped them back on, before heading out of the atrium and, because he had ever been one to meet a thing head on, he nodded at the woman (spy?) as he passed.
As he passed by, Tatiana gave out a quiet compliment. "I loved the piece you played. And apologies for disturbing you." her eyes and demeanor reflecting her honesty. "I had come to seek some serenity, and followed your music. It provided what I sought."
His expression transformed, caution giving way to pleasure at the compliment and a warm smile. "Thank you," he said. "Mostly, I was clearing my head but I'm glad you found something as well."
An answering warm genuine smile lit up her face, Tatiana giving a nod. "I did, I came in here to escape ghosts from my past. And this is a good place to do so." her tone soft and gentle. "I've come here rather often, next best thing to being outdoors."
"My first time, actually," Ronan said. "My ship's docked here so I'm taking advantage of the restaurants while I can. Replicator food isn't bad or anything but my brain keeps thinking of it as punishment rather than cuisine."
"I can't say that I blame your brain or your taste buds either one. I tend to get snacks like dried fruit, nuts, things of that nature just to balance out what is being made from the replicator. Can't forget making certain to have spices and or flavoring to help with the taste."
She looked at him, then held out her hand. "Hi, my name's Tatiana."
He accepted her handshake, "Ronan ... and I'll look into that snack idea. Back at the Academy we used to have dinners on Friday nights. Everyone took their turn creating something or other. Yeroda liked to grow herbs in his dorm room so he was very popular. Nothing like fresh basil to bring taste to the replicated matter masquerading as food."
"Oh most definitely." a thoughtful expression appeared. "I think I may need to have access to fresh herbs. A miniature herbal garden would make my quarters smell divine. and a little bit of greenery will look lovely." A light laugh, from Tatiana. "I am going off on a tangent. You were talking about meals, have you eaten yet?" Tatiana wondering if he'd like to share a meal with her.
"No, I haven't," Ronan said. "Tell you what. Give me about a half hour to take care of some things and I'll meet you on the promenade. We can find somewhere interesting ... sound good?"
"I like that idea immensely. See you in thirty minutes." Tatiana agreeing. Having spoken of dried fruit, nuts and such, she decided to go do a little bit of shopping. She hadn't had the chance to really stock up before she got onto the Thunderbird.
Thirty minutes later, her purchases were made and sent to the Thunderbird, Tatiana stood by the map, which spoke of what was on the promenade.
Ronan spent the thirty minutes taking care of essentials. He'd been given quarters on Deck 2 and received assurances that his gear had indeed arrived and would be delivered in short order. Relieved on that score, he went there directly and left his cello inside the door, resolving to himself to settle in later, preferably before he retired for the evening. That being done, he reversed course and headed back onto the starbase to meet Tatiana for a meal.
Her eyes lit up when Ronan arrived. "Hi, glad to see you." Tatiana, giving a warm smile, she couldn't help it, the way he looked and the gentle way about him. It rung a bell deep within her.
"Do you have any preference of where you'd like to eat? I myself only care as long as it tastes good," Tatiana giving a chuckle.
Ronan shrugged lightly. "Mostly, I just pick a place off the station's listing and take my chances wherever I end up. Being new in a place is just one of the perks of the job."
Things had changed a bit more since Tatiana had been here. And she liked the adventurous spirit that Ronan was displaying. "Well then, lets close our eyes and let our fingers do the picking."
Ronan closed his eyes and chose, his index finger touching down on a small restaurant tagged only with the letter "Z" located on the far end of the promenade. He called up the menu and discovered an unusual writeup ... 'a blended menu offering the best of many worlds under the talented hands of the one and only "Z" '. "Well that sounds ... adventurous," Ronan said, frowning slightly as he read. "Not very clearly defined. Preferably not worlds that prefer insects or live offerings, I hope."
A laugh, "Well lets try that out and see what Z comes up with," Tatiana remarked, linking her arm with Ronan's as they made their way to that restaurant.
[Later On]
Coming out of the restaurant, Tatiana remarked to Ronan. "I wasn't certain about the purple fish soup but it wasn't bad at all. What did you like from Z's concoction?"
"I especially liked how the names of the dishes in no way described their contents," Ronan said, shaking his head slightly. "And our server wasn't exactly forthcoming either. So, I picked blindly and was pleasantly surprised. Strange appearance ... flowers on the food? ... but still, quite good. Remember how surprised the server was that I didn't eat them. Weirdly fun, that place."
"Though he did seem delighted that I ate them instead. I hope you didn't mind my doing so. I do like eating edible flowers and they were delicious," giving a friendly nudge to his shoulder. "Something that my mother had introduced me to," Tatiana giving a grin.
"Interesting notion," Ronan said. "Edible flowers. Weird but interesting." He paused a moment, always that slight delay before he spoke about anything really. "I'm going to have to get going. We're shipping out soon."
Tatiana's eyes widened, it was time for her to get going as well. "Thanks for dinner and the adventure. I've got to get going as well, I've got some last minute things to do before I have to go. It was lovely meeting you Ronan, and also hearing your performance."
"My pleasure," Ronan said. "I hope to see you again some where down the line."
"I hope that we will see each other again as well," giving a smile towards Ronan. Tatiana turned to leave, glancing back towards Ronan, before her steps took her out of sight of Ronan. Who knows? This may have been just a happy coincidence and she may not see him again. Tatiana hoped that she would, for she loved his music. And she found Ronan, wonderful to talk to.
Lieutenant Ronan D'Sai, DSc.
Language Specialist
USS Thunderbird
Lieutenant Tatiana Dragos
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Thunderbird
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